


I Dream Of Your Gentle Embrace

by Selenic



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: M/M, Tentacles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-31
Updated: 2013-10-31
Packaged: 2017-12-31 02:38:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,065
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1026294
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Selenic/pseuds/Selenic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p> <br/>“I’ve been having these... dreams.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	I Dream Of Your Gentle Embrace

**Author's Note:**

>    
> I was looking forward to taking part in [Ancient City Bingo](http://ancientctybingo.livejournal.com/) this year, but RL had other plans. I managed to write this little fic for the prompt 'tentacles', but the City doesn't really play any part in it, so it doesn't really count. But I'm happy to have written anything at all, so here it is, I hope you enjoy it :) Unbetad, all mistakes are mine.
> 
> Crossposted [on LJ](http://selenic76.livejournal.com/18251.html)

 

I Dream Of Your Gentle Embrace

 

Rodney behaved oddly all through breakfast. Oh, he seemed perfectly normal, to the untrained eye of anyone other than John Sheppard, complaining about the freshness of the coffee and the lack of blue jello. But John could see it was all too normal—too much like Rodney behaving like he thought people expected him to.

After Teyla and Ronon finally got up and headed out, leaving John alone with Rodney, the clearly distraught scientist let his guard down. Leaning a little closer to the man beside him, Rodney started quietly. “I’ve been having these... dreams.”

John raised an inquisitive eyebrow. “That tends to happen when you sleep, Rodney,” he said, trying to sound mildly irritated as he suppressed a smile.

“Save your feeble attempt at sarcasm for those of lesser intellect,” Rodney snapped back. Then a look of deep worry crossed his face, until he regained his composure. “These dreams are not... the usual kind of imagery surfacing from the depths of my troubled subconscious during the dark hours of the night. There were—” Rodney held a dramatic pause, scanning the surrounding to make sure there was no one even near their corner of the mess hall, before he whispered with a shiver, “—tentacles.”

John squirmed a bit in his chair, trying to determine whether to interpret Rodney’s mood to be one of disgust, or excitement. Instead of neither, he settled on confused but curious.

“Probably just your upset stomach giving you weird dreams,” John tried to comfort Rodney. “And parts of that Athosian stew we had on the mainland, it had bits in it that were, well, more than a little tentacle-ish.”

“If it were only that I’d just take a few antacids and sleep like a baby,” Rodney replied, clearly not satisfied with the explanation. “Apart from all the dreams with the Wraith, and people dying, and worlds exploding...” he muttered as an afterthought, and the pain that flashed in his eyes was the kind John understood very well.

“Look, Rodney,” he started with a more reassuring tone. “It’s just some dreams, nothing to get so worked up about.” And he wanted it to be true just as badly as Rodney did.

“That’s just it!” Rodney hissed at him angrily, turning a few heads their way momentarily. “They feel more real than just dreams!” Then he sighed, and continued more calmly. “And every time I’ve had them has been after we, you know...”

“What?” John came to the realization surprisingly slow. “Oh...“

“Yes,” Rodney confirmed John’s suspicions, blushing slightly, but the corner of his mouth briefly rose to a wicked smirk. “Nine times so far, I’d hardly call that a coincidence anymore.”

“I see.” John didn’t come up with anything better to say, so he concentrated on trying to appear like they weren’t talking about the incredible, steaming hot sex they’d been having for months now. By mutual agreement they called it ‘stress relief’, and pretended that’s all it was, just a friend helping out another friend relieve some pressure. “And you think this means what?” he asked eventually.

“I don’t know,” Rodney said, sounding a little shocked, and John felt his chest tighten. “The first dream really scared me, having these, things, wrapped around me. Woke up screaming.”

“Yeah, I remember that,” John said quietly. He’d been there, after the first time they’d had sex. Rodney hadn’t let himself be touched for weeks. The thought of it still hurt John.

“Every time it happened, I thought it was just me, feeling guilty and ashamed about what we were doing,” Rodney confessed, his brow in worried wrinkles. “But then somehow the dreams changed,” he continued, and for some reason blushed even more and bowed his head, but John still caught the oddly happy smile Rodney tried to hide.

“Changed? How?” John asked, not sure if his eyes hadn’t betrayed him. Rodney seemed to shrink even further and mumbled something, too quietly to hear properly. John dragged his chair closer to Rodney’s. “It can’t be that embarrassing, considering the things we’ve done already,” he whispered. Rodney looked up cautiously.

“They, um, became sort of cuddly,” he finally got out. “I mean, the tentacles aren’t even slimy, they actually feel really soft and smooth and warm, embracing me so gently. I think I kind of like it, being held like that.” Suddenly Rodney looked up, straight into John’s eyes. “Oh my god, that must sound so creepy.” And John could read Rodney’s expression like an open book; one that you wished would end well, even though right now it seemed the main character had revealed a dark secret to his friend and desperately hoped it wouldn’t ruin everything between them.

“Hey, if you don’t find it creepy, I’ve got no problem with it,” John replied, and gave Rodney a reassuring smile.

“Really?” Rodney still sounded painfully doubtful, so John reached out under the table and stroked his thigh gently.

“Really, Rodney.” And the smile that he got in return, was all John needed.

“Well, good, that’s settled then,” Rodney noted more cheerfully, and turned to finish what was left of the despicable coffee. It must also have been cold, judging by the way Rodney cringed. John slowly withdrew his hand; Rodney was back to normal, at least for now. With a lighter heart, John stood up and picked up his tray.

“Tonight?” he asked in a low voice, and loved seeing how Rodney shuddered briefly, his ears turning slightly pink as he nodded in approval. John made his way out, and didn’t even try to hide his grin.

~~~

John lay awake, soaking in the warmth of Rodney. He cautiously pulled the already sleeping man closer, pressing against the solidness of his back. Rodney sighed in his sleep, and snuggled into a more comfortable position within John’s embrace.

John had been slipping—he knew he shouldn’t have stayed the night so many times, but he found it harder and harder to leave every time. The closer he became with Rodney, the harder the things became to control, and with the way he felt about the man now...

But apparently, Rodney wasn’t so freaked out by all this as John had thought. Maybe John could tell him after all. And maybe, after learning the truth about the tentacles, hearing the words ‘I love you’ wouldn’t come as such a shock.

 

~~~ End ~~~

 


End file.
